1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to a combination writing instrument (e.g. a ball point pen cartridge) and a toy having a plurality of removable disks and/or beads which can be removed from the writing instrument and used by children and adults, alike, as a play thing when the combination is not otherwise used in its capacity as a writing instrument.
2. Background Art.
Ball point pens have long been used as a low cost and convenient writing instrument. However, the outer casing of the ball point pen is typically manufactured from hard plastic. In this regard, gripping such a conventional ball point pen may become uncomfortable if the pen is used for writing over long periods of time. In some cases, the writer may have difficulty in carefully manipulating the pen when detailed illustrations or manuscripts are to be prepared.
What is more, conventional ball point pens have been used only as writing instruments. Should the writer become bored or need to pass time during quiet intervals of inactivity, the conventional ball point pen will be to no avail. In some cases, it may be desirable to have a small, readily available toy that can be manipulated simply to occupy the user's thoughts. In other cases, the user might wish to have a simple, easy to use toy to occupy the attention of a child. However, conventional ball point pens have not heretofore been used as a toy.